Chapter 257: A Heart-to-Heart Between Sisters

One day later, Bian Suwen slowly awakened.

By her bedside, Liu Yue and Lin Chen had been keeping quiet watch.

“Third Sister, how do you feel?” Liu Yue leaned forward in delight, her voice anxious with care.

Bian Suwen blinked several times, her gaze sweeping across the room in a daze. It took a moment before clarity returned, and she realized—she hadn’t died. She was alive. What’s more, her body felt… flawless. The poison was gone.

She couldn’t understand it. It made no sense. But right now, she wasn’t concerned about the how or why. There was someone else she needed to know about far more urgently.

“Where’s Wang Haoran?” she asked, voice tight with emotion.

“In the next room. Seventh and Sixth Sisters are watching over him,” Liu Yue replied gently.

Bian Suwen didn’t hesitate for a second. She threw the blankets off and swung her legs over the bed, not even bothering with shoes as she padded barefoot to the room next door.

Inside, Ji Shuyao and Qiu Qianwei were seated by Wang Haoran’s bedside. Hearing the light patter of footsteps, they turned toward the door.

Bian Suwen hesitated only briefly, but emotions overtook restraint. She strode over and grasped Wang Haoran’s hand tightly, eyes brimming with unspoken tenderness.

Neither Ji Shuyao nor Qiu Qianwei looked surprised. When they had first entered the intensive care unit, they had seen the unconscious Wang Haoran and Bian Suwen entwined in each other’s arms. That image alone had spoken volumes.

“I’ll go buy something,” Ji Shuyao offered casually, then stepped out.

In her mind, Qiu Qianwei and Wang Haoran were clearly the couple. Now with Third Sister involved… that was their knot to untangle. She had no place in it—after all, she was just someone nursing a one-sided affection. It wasn’t her role to interfere.

Yet the moment she exited the room, curiosity got the better of her. Ji Shuyao leaned against the doorframe and quietly listened.

Inside, silence lingered until Qiu Qianwei spoke, breaking it like a pebble into still water. “Third Sister, the friend you mentioned before… it was you, wasn’t it?”

Bian Suwen met her gaze and nodded. “Yes. It was me.”

Qiu Qianwei suspected as much. The way Bian Suwen had spoken of Wang Haoran earlier, her excitement and emotion—it hadn’t sounded like she was talking about someone else. And then, seeing the two of them clinging to each other in the ICU had only deepened that instinct. Now, hearing her sister admit it, the picture became complete.

She looked down at the man between them, still asleep, and said quietly, “Actually… he’s my boyfriend.”

“What?!” Bian Suwen’s face paled, and she instantly let go of Wang Haoran’s hand. “Seventh Sister, I’m so sorry—”

“You don’t have to apologize,” Qiu Qianwei shook her head gently. “You’ve known him longer than I have. I wouldn’t blame you, not now.”

She remembered listening to Bian Suwen’s story before—how much pain and longing were wrapped in it. Even if jealousy stirred somewhere within, compassion took precedence.

Bian Suwen’s eyes reddened, overwhelmed by her sister’s generosity. She took Qiu Qianwei’s hand and held it tightly. “To have a sister like you is the blessing of a past life,” she said, voice trembling. “Once he wakes up, I’ll return to the Imperial Capital. I won’t interfere with your relationship. I swear it.”

Qiu Qianwei looked at her earnestly. “But would that make you happy?”

The question struck deep. Bian Suwen froze. She didn’t answer, but her eyes said enough—of course it wouldn’t make her happy. But for the sake of sisterhood, she was ready to let go.

Seeing her struggle, Qiu Qianwei’s heart softened further. After a moment of hesitation, she said softly, “You don’t have to do that. If it were someone else, I’d fight tooth and nail to keep them away. But you’re not just anyone. You’re my sister. I don’t want to lose him… and I don’t want you to be heartbroken either.”

Bian Suwen stared at her in disbelief. “You mean…”

“Only if you want to. If not, forget I said anything,” Qiu Qianwei added quickly.

“No—no! I do! I do!” Bian Suwen replied at once, her voice urgent and trembling with joy.

To have both love and family—how could she say no? It was the best of both worlds.

Yes, it was unconventional. But Qiu Qianwei was right. They were sisters. There was no need to fight over happiness when it could be shared.

Still, Bian Suwen made up her mind to yield to Qiu Qianwei whenever she could. For one, she was the elder sister—giving way was only right. And second, Qiu Qianwei had been with him first. If they were to speak of seniority in love, then Qianwei came before her.

Lying in bed with his eyes closed, pretending to sleep, Wang Haoran nearly burst into laughter.

He had feigned unconsciousness to avoid dealing with questions about saving Bian Suwen, and to buy time to figure out how to resolve the tension between the two women. Who would’ve guessed—they solved it themselves, beautifully, without him saying a word.

He could hardly believe it. So this was the strength of female leads in a feel-good novel—so considerate, so reasonable, even willing to share.

Sure, the “sharing” was currently limited to sisters… but still, what a pleasant surprise.

Even more amusing, his X-ray Vision allowed him to see Ji Shuyao eavesdropping outside—and now she wore an expression of stunned delight. Did that mean she was… considering joining too?

Beautiful. Just beautiful.

Wang Haoran basked in his good fortune for a while longer, then wiggled his fingers slightly.

Even mid-conversation, both women had been keeping a close eye on him. The tiny movement didn’t escape their notice.

They turned toward him in unison, eyes brimming with anticipation.

Seeing their expectant gazes, Wang Haoran finally opened his eyes and blinked slowly. “Is this… heaven?” he murmured groggily.

“You’re not dead. You’re still with us,” Qiu Qianwei said softly, her voice full of warmth.

“I remember… it felt like I was dying, like something was tearing me apart inside. How did I survive?” Wang Haoran put on a perfect act, complete with a furrowed brow and a dazed tone.

Bian Suwen blinked, momentarily thrown off. She had wanted to ask how her poison had been resolved, but judging by his confusion, he truly seemed to have no idea either.

“Think carefully—right before you passed out, did you see anyone enter the ICU?” she asked instead.

The Blood Prison of the Poisoned Feather wasn’t a trivial toxin. There was no way it would vanish on its own. Someone must have intervened.

Wang Haoran furrowed his brow in mock thought. A few seconds later, he suddenly clutched his head and cried out, “Ah! My head hurts!”

“Don’t think about it. Let it go,” Bian Suwen said at once, distressed.

Qiu Qianwei, equally worried, reached out and cradled his head, letting him rest against her chest. “Just relax,” she whispered, stroking his hair gently.

Wang Haoran stopped pretending right then and there. Her chest was too comfortable a pillow to pull away from.

With that moment of tenderness, Bian Suwen let go of her doubts for now and chose not to press further.

Just then, a soft knock came at the door.

Qiu Qianwei’s body tensed slightly. She gently pushed Wang Haoran back onto the bed and looked at Bian Suwen. “Third Sister, Fifth and Sixth Sisters don’t know about my relationship with Haoran yet. Please don’t tell anyone for now. I don’t want him to get in trouble.”

“I understand,” Bian Suwen nodded immediately. “Same for me—don’t say anything about us yet either.”

Her cheeks flushed slightly. She wasn’t comfortable being seen like this by others, and Qiu Qianwei’s discretion was exactly what she wanted too.

Wang Haoran listened to them both, feeling deeply satisfied. They were handling everything on their own, with grace and thoughtfulness. As long as he didn’t do anything stupid, there was no way this would fall apart.

“Come in,” Bian Suwen called toward the door.

The door creaked open. Divine Doctor Xue entered, expression solemn.

“Senior,” he said gravely, “we’ve got an uninvited guest.”